From: International Workers’ Unity – Fourth International (IWU-FI)
We state our strongest repudiation of Marielle Franco’s murder, a councillor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the PSOL (Socialism and Liberty Party). Her murder occurred on Wednesday 14, at night, in the centre of the city, on her return from the event «Young Black Women Shaking Structures». Marielle was benchmark for the fight against police violence in the favelas (shanty towns) and was critically positioned against military intervention in Rio de Janeiro.
Marielle Franco was a black, feminist woman activist, a prominent member of the PSOL and an activist for human rights. Marielle knew very well police violence since she came from Marè Resort favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. From a young age she began her political career as an activist in the defence of black women’s rights and in denouncing police violence. In 2016 she was the fifth politician most voted in the elections to municipal councillor in the city of Rio de Janeiro as a member of PSOL.
Her murder occurred a month after the president of Brazil, Michel Temer, ordered the federal military intervention of Rio de Janeiro. Since then, Marielle was appointed special rapporteur of the Council Commission, created to oversee police operations. The day before her murder, she had condemned the brutal and gruesome action of the Military Police in the region of Irajá, in the community of Acari. For this reason, her crime it is not at random: the car in which she was traveling was shot and her killers fled without stealing anything from her.
From the International Workers’ Unity – Fourth International (IWU-FI) We are in solidarity with their families, friends and comrades. In addition, we demand the investigation of the facts, a trial and punishment for those guilty of this crime. We join all samples of repudiation that have been made in the world and we call for actions demanding investigation and punishment in front of embassies and/or consulates of Brazil in each country. We continue the struggle of Marielle for the rights of women, against repression and the austerity plans from Temer.
15 March 2018
Â
